Avocado Smoothies Are the Next Category for Probiotics

Image provided by Ganeden.

At this point, it’s almost gotten easier to name food types that haven’t teamed up with probiotics than go through the enormous list of those that have. But here’s a new one for you: a line of avocado-based smoothie bowls with toasted quinoa and 1 billion CFUs of Ganeden BC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) probiotics.

Earlier this year, probiotics supplier Ganeden (Cleveland) announced it was debuting a Shark Tank–style competition to find successful start-ups in the natural products industry. Called the Probiotic Innovation Jumpstart program, the competition invited scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs to submit their best ideas for a new probiotic food or beverage concept, with Ganeden awarding $25,000 to the winner to develop the idea into an actual product.

Last week, after months of narrowing down finalists, Ganeden announced New York–based start-up Avoke had won the jumpstart competition. Scheduled for a launch this fall, the line of Avoke Spoonables avocado-based smoothies with probiotics are aimed at the on-the-go consumer.

“Our goal for Probiotic Innovation Jumpstart was to encourage startups with unique ideas for novelty foods and beverages to join the probiotic space-an industry that has helped us grow exponentially throughout the years,” said Andy Lefkowitz, CEO of Ganeden, in the award announcement. “The line of Avoke Spoonables is going to be a game-changer in the healthy snack category, and we plan to put our full support behind this impressive company and launch.”

Available in four flavors-berry mint, greens and ginger, spicy carrot, and coconut curry-each of the smoothie bowls contains half an avocado, two servings of fruits and vegetables, a topping of toasted quinoa, and 1 billion CFUs of Ganeden BC30. For added convenience, each ready-to-eat packaged smoothie bowl also comes with its own pop-out spoon. And to prevent the avocado from changing color, each bowl is nitrogen purged when it is sealed, Mike Bush, Ganeden’s president, told Nutritional Outlook.

“The use of avocados as a healthy snack is growing immensely in popularity, yet there continues to be a huge void in ready-to-go avocado products in retail,” said Daniel Karsevar, consulting COO for Avoke, in the announcement. “Avoke Spoonables provide a solution by offering a healthy, vegan snack with a unique design that is convenient for on-the-go lifestyles, and we are proud that Ganeden and the industry experts see the value. Ganeden’s additional financial support and expertise will be extremely beneficial for the launch.”

In addition to its financial contribution, Ganeden will support Avoke with marketing assistance, public relations outreach, and other guidance to ensure a successful launch.

“We were very happy, first of all, that they were ready to go to market,” Ganeden’s Bush told Nutritional Outlook about Avoke. “They just got their last piece of packaging equipment in and they’re going to be ready to produce the first of September. Retailers are excited, investors are excited about it-everybody’s excited about it.”

Runner-up finalists in Ganeden’s Innovation Jumpstart competition were simplyFUEL and Red Lotus Foods, which proposed probiotic-featuring protein energy balls and a creamy spread made from cultured cashews, respectively.

Read more:

Nut Butters Now Include Probiotics

IFT Report: Cocoa and Probiotics Getting In on High-Protein Trend

A 2016 Update: Promising New Science on Probiotics

Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com